Armed conflict, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, natural disasters and climate change are the leading causes of hunger worldwide, according to a report (.doc) released on Monday by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization during the 31st Session of the Committee on World Food Security in Rome, Reuters AlertNet reports (Reuters AlertNet, 5/23). The report, titled "Assessment of the World Food Security Situation," says that the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by half the number of hungry people in the world by 2015 -- established by the World Food Summit in 1996 -- is "almost certain to be missed by a wide margin if current trends persist," according to a FAO release. However, the report also finds that the target of reducing the proportion of people affected by extreme poverty and hunger by 2015 might be achieved in most regions except sub-Saharan Africa (FAO release, 5/23). "Peace encourages investments and allows social and economic development. Conflict destroys lives, opportunities and environments," the report says, adding, "It can destroy in hours and days what has taken years and decades to develop" (AFP/Yahoo! News, 5/23). The report also says that armed conflict "contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS through displacement, rape or commercial sex" (Reuters AlertNet, 5/23).
From Kaiser Network.org (Daily Report, 5/25)
Here's an excerpt from the report that caught my eye:
"FAO estimates that 852 million people worldwide were undernourished in 2000–2002: 815 million in developing countries, 28 million in the countries in transition and 9 million in the industrialized countries (see Table 1). South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa have disproportionate share of the world’s hungry. The number of undernourished people in developing countries decreased by only 9 million during the decade following the World Food Summit baseline period of 1990–1992. During the second half of the decade, the number of chronically hungry in developing countries increased at a rate of almost 4 million per year, wiping out two thirds of the reduction of 27 million achieved during the previous five years."
Comments